Green To Head Schools in N.Y.C.

Richard R. Green, who rose through the ranks of the Minneapolis
public schools to become the district's superintendent in 1980, last
week was formally hired as the first black chancellor of the New York
City public schools.

But the calm and congratulatory atmosphere that surrounded last
week's unanimous vote of approval for Mr. Green by the board of
education belied the months of bitter debate and maneuvering that
filling the top job in the nation's largest school district had
produced.

In the period since Nathan Quinones, the previous chancellor,
announced in August that he would step down at the end of 1987--six
months before the scheduled expiration of his contract--virtually every
major political figure in the state has weighed in with an opinion on
who should succeed him.

And as state and municipal leaders tried to use their influence to
meet the selection concerns of the city's numerous and deeply divided
constituencies, each, in turn, suffered embarrassing setbacks. The
fierce and highly publicized battling offered a prime example of why
the New York City schools have been called the most politicized in the
nation.

A Final Twist

The final twist in the lengthy and often bizarre selection saga
began on Dec. 30, just two days before the board of education was
scheduled to make its choice from among three candidates put forward by
a board-appointed search committee. The candidates included Mr. Green
and two superintendents of schools from Pennsylvania--Constance E.
Clayton of Philadelphia and Richard S. Wallace Jr. of Pittsburgh.

Four board members, all appointees of the city's borough presidents,
announced then that they wanted the board to expand the list of
finalists to include three additional candidates not recommended by the
selection committee.

The last-minute move represented a major setback for Robert F.
Wagner Jr., the board's president and one of only two mayoral
appointees on the seven-member body. The highly visible Mr. Wagner had
already suffered criticism for the slowness of the chancellor search,
and this overt challenge to the selection process he had designed put
him in direct conflict with the dissenting board members.

The confrontation occurred just as the board was scheduled to
interview Mr. Green, who was asked to leave the room when the borough
appointees presented their demands.

The top candidate of the borough appointees was Bernard R. Gifford,
dean of the graduate school of education at the University of
California at Berkeley, who had served for several years in the 1970's
as the deputy chancellor of the New York schools.

Mr. Gifford's candidacy was supported by several prominent
offi8cials from outside the school system, some of whom expressed
concern that none of the finalists had had experience in New York City.
They included, among others, U.S. Senator Daniel P. Moynihan, U.S.
Representative Charles B. Rangel, and Arthur Barnes, president of the
city's Urban Coalition.

A 'Private' Conversation

But of all Mr. Gifford's backers, the one in the strongest position
politically appeared to be Mr. Barnes's wife, Sandra Feldman, president
of the United Federation of Teachers, the largest American Federation
of Teachers affiliate. Her closest ally on the board, James F. Regan,
was one of the four members who disputed the search committee's list of
finalists.

In a phone call to Ms. Feldman the next day, Mr. Wagner reportedly
threatened to quit his post over the dispute. Though the incident was
cited in the New York Times, Mr. Wagner has repeatedly refused to
comment on the phone call, saying it was a "private" conversation
between him and Ms. Feldman.

Apparently, however, Ms. Feldman backed down. Mr. Green was approved
in a preliminary board vote two days later by a 4 to 3 margin. The uft
president was quoted as saying: "It was my pleasure to be able to save
Bobby Wagner's job and get an excellent chancellor in the
process.''

Vehement protests from the backers of a third candidate, Adelaide
Sanford, a member of the New York State Board of Regents, failed to
delay the board's approval of Mr. Green. But Ms. Sanford's supporters
have threatened to call a student strike to protest the selection, and
have even vowed to file a lawsuit on her behalf.

'Chaotic Environment'

Meanwhile, the situation Mr. Green will step into March 1 seems by
no means stable. Many of the political figures who played roles in the
selection drama have pledged in recent months to press for substantial
changes in the school system. High on their agenda is a revamping of
the role and structure of Mr. Green's new bosses, the board of
education.

Early in the selection process, in fact, Mr. Green himself said, "I
have no idea who would want to come in and be chancellor. It sounds to
be a very chaotic environment."

As chancellor, observers say, his role in this and other major
issues facing the system will be little more than lobbyist. The state
legislature, they note, has broad authority to chart the district's
future.

And in his state-of-the-state message on education last week, Gov.
Mario M. Cuomo indicated that the authority might be rigorously
exercised. He devoted the largest segment of the address to the
troubles afflicting the New York City schools. (See related story on
page 12.)

The Governor's legislative package includes a proposal to authorize
a subsidiary of the State Dormitory Authority to assume responsibility
for all new construction and major rehabilitation projects in the
system. Reform of the city's school-construction procedures is a
condition imposed for the district's receipt of $600 million in new
construction funds made available by a surplus in another municipal
agency.

In addition, Mr. Cuomo is backing a proposal to give the Mayor of
New York City the power to appoint a majority of school-board
members.

Other proposals supported by the Governor include a bill calling for
a comprehensive study of the district's decentralized governance
structure.

Alluding to the current power of the city's school-custodians'
union, which has come under increasing fire this year, Governor Cuomo
said that "to suggest that the physical operation of the school should
be subject not to the direction of the principal but rather to the sole
discretion of the school custodian is ludicrous."

In his address, he also advocated giving greater authority to school
principals in the district. But he stopped short of recommending the
abolition of tenure for principals.

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